Last weekend I had a table at The Bust Magazine Craftacular in Los Angeles at SuperChief Gallery. I had all of my current robot posters up and on display behind my table of Surly-Ramics Jewelry. I was explaining the story of my scifi "Feel Good Bar and Grill" which has been the catalyst for this ongoing robot/science drawing project.

The basic story line is that one robot, Lina was programed by a human to make people happy by bringing other people flowers. But what Lina soon discovered was that bringing people flowers did not make everyone happy. Some people got headaches. Some humans were allergic to flowers. Not all humans like all flowers. Lina soon realized that the prime objective of bringing people happiness was much more complex than her programming had originally allowed for. So when Lina found herself on the moon Enceladus with a small crew of humans and some extra parts, she started building other robots to see if they would bring happiness, thus achieving her prime objective - and the "Feel Good Bar and Grill" was born.

One of the lovely people I talked to about this at the Bust Magazine event mentioned how much people love their pets, and cats specifically. They asked if I would draw a robot kitty.

Heck yes!

Cat bot may not be quite as furry as your average cat but it does have puffs of very soft and fluffy faux-fur that is glorious to touch and when you pet those areas Cat Bot is programmed to purr as a thank you. Cat Bot is also programed to chase a laser pointer or play with balls of string that are available by request at the bar.

Cat Bot has retractable claws and legs and is very agile and extremely light weight. It can hop to very high places- thanks to the retractable spring functions in its legs and can twist and spin in such a way that it always lands on its feet. Its paws are padded giving it the ability to jump very high in relation to its size and onto furniture, other bots, or humans without causing damage or harm. It's paws absorb stress.

Cat Bot, programmed in the true spirit of most cats, doesn't like everyone right away and you often have to work a little harder for its attention and it sometimes has to be coaxed with those cat toys from the bar to be your temporary companion.

It has been programmed with purrs, mews, meows and other familiar cat sounds and is also heated so when it comes up to you it feels warm like an actual cat would.

When it is not in use, it returns to a charging station that looks like a cat bed and curls up in the cutest shape and appears to "breathe."

The science behind this? Well a lot is tentative and sometimes contradictory but it has been shown that having an animal companion (even occasionally) helps lower your cortisol (the stress hormone) and helps increase feelings of well being and love.

I'll have more on the studies correlated to feelings of love and the release of oxytocin with animals and humans when I post my next drawing. For now, please enjoy this drawing of Cat Bot that is available for your coloring pleasure. Good kitty says, "Purr, purr, purr."